Hampshire music festival cancelled due to coronavirus concerns
Boomtown won't take place for the second year in a row
Organisers of the Boomtown Fair music festival have announced they are cancelling this summer’s event, blaming pandemic uncertainty and the lack of a Government-backed insurance scheme.
The 65,000 ticket event which sold out in February was set to be held Matterley Estate near Winchester, Hampshire, from August 11 to 15.
Organisers say they are 'devastated' to cancel this year's event and start planning for next year.
Boomtown statement:
“After almost half a year of collective campaigning to the Government, sadly Covid-specific cancellation insurance for events still does not exist at this point in time.
“This means anyone putting on an event this year will be doing so without the safety net of insurance to cover them should Covid prevent them from going ahead in any capacity.
“For an independent event as large and complex as Boomtown, this is a huge gamble of up to an eight-figure sum and the financial risk is simply too high.”
The organisers have confirmed that all 2021 tickets will automatically remain valid for 2022.
Other events which have been cancelled this summer include Glastonbury, Download and British Summer Time in Hyde Park while others including Reading and Leeds festivals and Isle of Wight are planned to go ahead.